Recent Construction
Statistics
That rainfall and bad weather delayed the strong start to
the year that we expected. At our
company, we were projected to be ahead of last year’s numbers at this point,
but the weather has affected that.
While 2013 was a good year for Atlanta’s housing market,
many of the players in Metro Atlanta’s residential construction market expect
this year to be even better.
In late February, Metrostudy reported 2013 numbers for
the 22 county Atlanta region:
> 2013 Housing Starts:
13,862 - up 67% from 2012
> 2013 New Home Closings: 12,079 - up 39% from 2012
> 2013 Market Share of Housing Starts in Atlanta
80% - Areas above I-20
20% - Areas below I-20
> Dramatic Increase in Starts activity, 4Q2012 to
4Q2013:
Henry County = 245% increase – from 47 to 162
Paulding County = 436% increase – from 22 to 118
Metrostudy predicts Metro Atlanta
housing starts to increase by at least 25% in 2014 from 2013 levels.
Nationally, NAHB Chief Econ-omist David Crowe reported on
the housing market, “While housing construction is in a recent lull due to
unusual weather conditions, we expect to see an improvement as the winter
weather pattern subsides and builders prepare for the spring selling season.
Competitive mortgage rates, affordable home prices and an improving economy all
point to a continuing, gradual strengthening of housing activity through the
rest of the year.”
As reported on www.ConcreteConstruction.net, FMI, a
consulting and invest-ment firm for the construction industry, released its
2014 Construction Outlook for the nation.
Here are some highlights:
> Residential – 18% increases for single-family; 27%
for multi-family
> Commercial – 7% increase to $52.6 billion – the
highest mark since 2008
> Manufacturing – 5% increase to $45.2 billion,
another 8% growth in 2015
> Transportation – 7% increase to $4.4 billion
> Overall – 8% increase
These numbers look promising, and the laborer situation
in our market seems to reinforce the fact that the construction industry is
busy. We recently hired 15 people and
the response to our “Help Wanted” ads weren’t as fruitful as last year.
Speaking of hiring – and in honor of Memorial Day and
Armed Forces Day this month – consider seeking out Veterans to fill available
positions within your company. They have
made great sacrifices for our country.
To Your Success,
P.S. On May 11th, Americans will make 11.3 percent more
calls than any other day during the rest of the year, and for good reason –
it’s Mother’s Day. Thanks, Mom, for
always being there for me. I love you.